FEBRUARY 27, 2015
A Consistent
Life
He knelt down on his knees . . . and prayed and gave thanks
before his God, as was his custom since early days. —Daniel 6:10
Read: Daniel 6:1-10
While studying the
book of Daniel, I was struck by how easily he could have avoided being thrown
into the den of lions. Daniel’s jealous rivals in the government of Babylon
laid a trap based on his consistent practice of daily prayer to God (Dan.
6:1-9). Daniel was fully aware of their plot and could have decided to pray
privately for a month until things settled down. But that was not the kind of
person he was.
“When Daniel knew that
the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows
open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and
prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days”
(v.10). Daniel did not panic, nor bargain with God. Instead, he continued “just
as he had done before” (v.10 niv). He was not
intimidated by the pressure of persecution.
The lesson for me was
the power of Daniel’s life of consistent devotion to the Lord. His strength
came from God, whom Daniel wanted to please every day. When a crisis came,
Daniel didn’t need to change his daily practice to meet it. He simply stayed
committed to his God.
Father, I want to
stand for You when persecution
comes as Daniel did. Give me that same bold
commitment to pray and not to be ashamed of
knowing You. Help me to live my faith publicly.
God empowers us to
stand for Him as we bow to pray.
INSIGHT:
Daniel's three friends were thrown into the fiery furnace (Dan. 3), and
Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den (ch. 6). These stories teach us that God is in control, even when it doesn’t look like it,
and we can trust Him.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
